Wringer



Def119%2 J. s. v|ssc|-IER 2,303,892

` wRINeER l Filed Aug. 19, 1959 2 Sheets-,Sheet 1 invent" z John S. Visscher',

` bg Iv/W5 His Attorney.

Patented Dec. 1, 1942 UNETED STTS PATENT OFFICE WRINGER John S. Visscher, Stratford, Conn., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application August 19, 1939, Serial No. 291,028

7 Claims.

my invention, attention is directed to the following description and the claims appended thereto.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a wringer embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the free end of i.

the wringer; Fig. 3 is a side elevation partly in section of the supported end of the wringer and Wringer head; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of one end of the control bar; Fig. 5 is a sectional View taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 3; the parts being shown in the position in which the wringer rolls are released; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 6, the rolls being pressed together;

and Fig. 8 is a fragmentary View of the upper end of the wringer head and the adjacent part of the wringer.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a wringer having a frame comprising side stiles I and 2 connected by a bottom frame member 3 which is bolted to the under side of the side stiles.

Between the side Stiles are upper and lower wringer rolls 64 and 65 driven by the structure illustrated in my aforesaid patent. The lower Wringer roll 65 is iixed to a shaft 66 having an integral coupling head 61. The coupling head has a pin 68 fixed therein which cooperates with slots 69 in a coupling member 32 on a drive shaft 28 driven by suitable mechanism (not shown). At the other end the shaft 66 is journaled in a bearing 10 which is carried in a square bearing block 1I, seated in a seat 12 integral with the side stile 2. The seat 12 is open at its upper end.

The upper wringer roll 64 is journaled on a shaft 13 which is fixed between the depending arms 14 and 15 of a control bar or carrier 16, extending across the top of the wringer. The control bar is provided with a hollow hand grip member 11 telescoped over the control bar and having end walls 18 pivoted by means of pins 19 on the arms 14 and 15. The member 11 has a loose t on the control bar so that it can have an angular movement relative thereto, the movement being limited by the engagement of one of the side wa11s-80 with a raised 'central part -.8l 55 Sion of the leaf springs 90, The plates 85 are,

(Fig. 1) of the control bar as shown in Fig. 7. The control bar has integral skirts 82 which eX- tend over and partially enclose the upper roll. When the control bar is in the wringing position, shown in Fig. '7, the skirt on the side of the wringer from which clothes are being fed extends in front of the major portion of the upper roll and serves as a guard. Since there is substantially no space between the lower ends of the skirt and the upper roll, the operator cannot reach in between the upper roll and the control bar. This is a safety feature since if a greater space were provided the operators hand might become jammed between the control bar and the upper roll. This would be particularly likely if the operators hand were inserted between the control bar and the upper wringer roll from the side opposite from that from which clothes were being fed.

The upper roll and the control bar constitute a unitary assembly which can be inserted and removed as a unit. The arms 14 and 15 of the control bar have outwardly extending projections 83 and 84 which t in slots 85 in verticaly slidable plates 86 carried in the inner faces of the side Stiles i and 2. are hook shaped portions 81 which limit direct upward movement of the control bar assembly. To insert or remove the control bar, the control bar is tilted so that the projections 83 and 8! extend angularly beneath the hook shaped portions 81. The openings provided by the hooked portions 81 are covered by plates 88 hinged to the side stiles I and 2 by means of pivot pins 88a.

The lower ends of the plates 86 have openings 89 through which the bottom frame member 3 extends. A pair of leaf springs 90, one of which bears against the lower side of the bottom frame member 3 and the other of which is hooked through the openings 89 bias the plates 86 downward. It will be noted that the force exerted by the springs in the frame is close to the side stiles. There is, therefore, very little danger of distorting the frame due to the spring forces. If the upper spring were omitted, the force exerted on the bottom frame member 3 would be at its center. There would then be some danger of exing the bottom frame member and thereby causing spreading of the upper ends of the side stiles. The downward movement of the plates 86 is limited by stops @l which are xed to the upper side of the bottom frame member 3 and which engage the upper edges of the openings 89. Upward movement of the plates 86 is limited by the ten- At the upper end of the slots 85 provided with clearance openings 92 around the lower wringer roll shaft 66. The plates 86 are enclosed by cover plates 93 xed respectively to the side stiles and 2. Roll guards 94 are fixed to the outer surface of the cover plates 93.

The slots 85 in the plates 86 have a central portion 95 in which the lower ends of the projections 83 and 84 loosely rest and branched cam surfaces 96 on each side thereof which cooperate with rollers 91 journaled on shafts 98 fixed in the projections 83 and 84. When the control bar is in the neutral position, shown in Fig. 6, the rollers 91 are directly above the lower ends of the projections 83. B4 and the control bar assembly is accordingly loosely carried in the wringer. Under these conditions, the plates 86 are urged downard against the stops 9| by the leaf springs 90.

To apply pressure between the rolls the control baris tilted to one side or the other of the central position. Under these conditions the rollers 91 cooperate with the cam surfaces 96 to force the upper roll against the lower roll. 'I'he plates 86 yield upward against the tension of the springs 90 limiting the pressure between the rolls. In the position shown in Fig. '1, the rollers 91 rest in arcuate portions 99 and the direction of the pressure is such that the control bar is held in this position. As varying thicknesses of material are fed between the rolls, the upper roll is forced upward, moving the control bar and plates 8S upward while the parts remain in the same position. As the control bar is moved to the pressure applying position the side wall 80 of the hand grip member 11 engages the central portion 8| of the control bar as shown in Fig. 7. After engagement, the member 11 and the control bar move as a unit. Upon reaching the pressure applying position, tongues on the end walls 18 of the member 11 engage pins |0| fixed on the plates 86 between the cam surfaces 96 and the pins 19 on which the member 11 is pivoted. The roll pressure is released by moving the rolls 91 from under the cam surfaces 96. Since the full pressure is exerted on the rolls 91, the friction forces may make it difficult to move the rolls from under the cam surface, particularly if the pressure is to be released in an emergency when the pressure is increased above normal by the presence of material between the rolls. In the present construction this difculty is overcome by prying the rolls 91 from under the cam surfaces 96 by means of the hand grip member 11. This is most clearly shown in Fig. '7 where the hand grip member is shown in the position in which the roll pressure is applied. To release the roll pressure the upper end of the member 11 is moved to the left, causing it to pivot about pins 19 in a counterclockwise direction. The tongues |00 engage the pins or fulcrums |0| and pry the rolls 91 from under the cam surfaces 96. The prying action continues until the central portion 8| of the control bar engages the opposite side wall 80 of the member 11. After this the control bar and hand grip member move as a unit. Preferably the parts are proportioned so the prying action continues until the rolls 91 are moved to a position in which the roll pressure acts in a direction to assist the movement of rolls from under the cam surfaces. This is not necessary. A considerable improvement is obtained if the prying action merely starts the movement oi the rolls 91. Apparently the greatest eifort is required to start the movement of the rolls. By providing a slight space between the tongues |00 and pins |0| in the position of Fig. 7, the hammer blow action resulting from the engagement of the parts |00 and |0| may be utilized to assist the prying action. By means of the above described construction the roll pressure is released more easily than by a pressure applied directly tothe upper end 8| of the control bar.

It will be noted that the movement of the upper roll is in a vertical direction while pressure is being applied and Y,released since it is conned by the slots 95. Also, when the rolls are pressed together the angular position of the control bar is independent of the position of the plates 86. It is therefore impossible to release the roll pressure by wringing too great a thickness of material. This is due to the fact that in the wringing the control bar is wedged across the slots and the cam surfaces 96, both of which are part of the plates 86. The vertical position of the plates 86 accordingly has no effect upon the control bar.

Since the operation of the wringer is effected by moving the control bar to one side of the central position, it is desirable that accidental movement of the control bar to the operative position be prevented. This is effected by means of a projection |05 on the lower end of the arm 15 which cooperates with a groove |06 in a strip spring |01. This serves as a dctent holding the control bar in the central position. The upper edge of the spring |01 is chamfered at |08 to facilitate insertion of the control bar assembly.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. In a wringer, a frame, a lower roll carried therein, a control member carrying an upper roll, receivers in the frame, cam surfaces on the receivers cooperating with said control member upon tilting thereof to force the upper roll against the lower roll, a manually operable lever having a pivot on said control member, stop' means limiting the pivotal movement of the lever relative to the control member, and a fulcruml engageable by said lever upon pivotall movement thereof relative to the control member whereby the control member is pried' away from said cam surfaces.

2. In a wringer, a frame, a lower roll carried therein, a control bar carrying an upper roll, receivers in the frame, cam surfaces on the receivers cooperating with said control bar upon tilting thereof to force the upper roll against the lower roll, a hand grip member telescoped over said control bar and pivoted thereon, said member having side walls spaced apart to permit limited relative movement of said member and control bar, and a fulcrum engageable by said member upon movement thereof relative to the control bar whereby the control bar is pried away from said cam surfaces.

3. In a wringer, a frame having spaced side stiles and a connecting bottom frame member, a lower roll carried therein, an upper roll having'I a carrier therefor, receivers in the side stiles, openings in the receivers for receiving portions of the carrier, cam surfaces in the receiversV above said portions of the carrier and engageable by the carrier on tilting thereof to force the upper.; roll against the lower roll, a manually operable. lever having a pivot on said carrier, stop meansU limiting the pivotal movement of theA lever relatiyeI to the carrier, and a fulcrum engageable by the lever upon pivotal movement thereof relative to the carrier whereby the carrier is pried away from said cam surfaces.

4. In a wringer, a frame having spaced side stiles and a connecting bottom frame member, a lower roll carried therein, an upper :.:oll having a carrier therefor, receivers in the side stiles, openings in the receivers for receiving portions of the carrier, cam surfaces in the receivers above said portions of the carrier and engageable by the carrier on tilting thereof to force the upper roll against the lower roll, a hand grip member for tilting the carrier, said members being pivoted on the carrier and having side walls telescoped over the carrier and spaced apart to permit limited relative movement of said member and carrier, and a fulcrum engageable by said member upon movement relative to the carrier whereby the carrier is pried away from said cam surfaces.

5. In a Wringer, a frame, cooperating rolls carried thereby, pressure means carried by the frame comprising a cam surface and a member movable into and out of engagement with said cam surface to apply and release the pressure between the rolls, a handle for moving said member to the pressure applying and releasing positions, and a fulcrum, the entire structure of which is at one side of said handle, engageable by said handle upon movement thereof from the pressure applying position for prying said member away from said cam surface.

6. In a Wringer, a frame, cooperating rolls carried thereby, pressure means carried by the frame comprising cooperating parts including a member movable between a pressure applying and a pressure releasing position, a handle for moving said member, and a fulcrum, the entire structure of which is at one side of said handle, engageable by said handle upon movement in the pressure releasing direction for prying said member away from the pressure applying position.

'7. In a wringer, a frame, cooperating rolls carried thereby, pressure means carried by the frame comprising cooperating parts including a member movable between a pressure applying and a pressure releasing position, a handle for moving said member to the pressure applying and the pressure releasing positions, said handle having a pivot on said member, and a fulcrum, the entire structure of which is at one side of said handle, engageable by said handle upon pivotal movement thereof relative to said member forA prying said member away from the pressure applying position.

JOHN S. VISSCHER. 

